It's A New Day
by Blitz Chick
Summary: When Starfire gets into a fight with ProtoMan, is it just another fight or will it change the way her life will turn out?


Disclaimer: Any characters from any of the MegaMan Battle Network games are not mine. Starfire and Sam ARE mine. DON'T SUE MEEEEE! Oh yeah, this is my first fan fic so tell me if I totally screw up the characters.

It's A New Day By Lady Star 

_You get me,_

_When nobody understands,_

_You come and take a chance, baby_

_You get me,_

_You look inside my wild mind,_

_Never knowing what you'll find,_

_And still you want me all the time,_

_Yeah you do,_

_Yeah, you get me_

_You Get Me_

_By Michelle Branch_

Sam Rebena smiled and turned her face to the sun, eyes closed. Finally! After weeks of waiting, spring break was here. One whole week for her and her Navi, Starfire.EXE, to do whatever they wanted! Maybe they would go net battling, or maybe-

"Are you coming or are you going to stand there all day?"

Shaking herself out of her little daydream, Sam looked over at her best friend, Chaud Blaze. With a light-hearted laugh, Sam pushed away a strand of hair the color of coffee with cream. "I'm coming Chaud!"

He shook his head, and began walking, thrusting his hands into the pockets of his camouflage pants.

Catching up to Chaud, Sam could tell something was bothering the white haired boy. "Chaud? Are you all right?"

Glancing over, Chaud found Sam's sky blue eyes gazing at him with concern. With a sigh, he decided that he could speak his mind to Sam. "It's just…. I don't know what to do about the Navis. What're they gonna do when we go out to do something and they can't come?"

Sam smiled brightly. Chaud's love for net battling was only matched by his brotherly love for his Navi, ProtoMan. "Oh, I'm sure he can amuse himself! Besides, he can hang out with Starfire. That is," she removed her PET from its belt holster, "If it's okay with you Star."

Starfire gave a squeal of excitement. The little Navi was the same design as Roll, but with her main body being orange, while her gloves and other accents being red. Those weird things on the head had been removed, and her ponytail was the same style as ProtoMan's, only a shimmering golden blonde.

Chaud couldn't help but allow a hint of a smile. Starfire and ProtoMan were two complete opposite Navis, yet they managed to get along just fine.

"I'll take that as a yes. C'mon! We can turn these two loose on the net, and maybe we'll take a walk!" Sam grabbed Chaud's wrist and pulled him along, a light breeze pulling at her light blue skirt and royal blue vest.

Upon finding a good place to jack in, Sam and Chaud left the two Navis to their own devices. Promptly, Sam challenged Chaud to a tree-climbing contest.

Starfire smiled at her Net Op's zeal. After Sam had been orphaned, life had been hard for the dynamic duo. But after getting an apartment from Sam's aunt and uncle, things were defiantly looking up. Turning, Star bounded over to ProtoMan, and leapt upon him from behind. "PROTO!"

ProtoMan was startled, but let the bubbly little Navi hug him and place her face right next to his on his shoulder.

"So, whadda you wanna do?" Star whispered playfully at ProtoMan.

He pushed her off gently and shrugged. Star pouted at him.

"Ahh, c'mon Proto! That's what you _always_ say. Or rather, what you don't say." Letting the sentence hang, Star looked out at the two humans, talking on the grass. Clasping her hands, Star sighed. "Awwww…. Aren't they cute?"

Again, ProtoMan only offered a shrug and a small smile as he crossed his arms across his chest.

Starfire persisted. "I'm serious Proto! It's so obvious that this is love for them. They're made to be together, don't you think? What do you think ProtoMan? Is there a girl out there for you?" Glancing over her shoulder, the orange Navi waited for some sort of reply.

Eventually the silver-haired Navi uncrossed his arms and stood next to Star. "No. I am alone by nature and compassion only distracts from the task at hand."

Taken aback, Star stared at her friend with a look of shock. "C'mon Proto, you can't really think that!"

"Why can't I? Friendship will just get in the way and cause trouble."

"That's not true and you know it ProtoMan!"

"How do you know it's not true? What happened to Sam's family? Huh?"

"There was nothing anyone could do to prevent that and you know that ProtoMan!"

"Oh yeah? Let me tell you, Sam is alone because people cared!"

"That's a lie! How would you know anything, you weren't there!"

"Face it Star! That's the truth!"

"No it's not!"

"I'm not going to let that happen to me or Chaud!"

"Caring isn't the reason and you know that ProtoMan Blues Blaze!"

A resounding silence rang around the two steaming Navis after the last remark. Only Starfire would dare use ProtoMan's full name. Both stared at each other stubbornly before ProtoMan finally turned his back to Star.

"Feh! I don't know why I even bother with you. Talking to you is a waste of my time."

"Oh yeah, well same here!" Starfire retorted hotly.

"I don't even know why I ever wanted to hang out with you in the first place!"

"Neither do I!"

"Then I'll just leave then!"

"Fine! See if I care!"

With that, ProtoMan teleported out hotly, leaving Star all alone. Shortly after, both Net Ops returned, happy and warm.

"Hey Star! Eh- Star, are you okay? You seem… angry." Sam asked curiously as she bid Chaud a goodbye and headed off to their apartment.

Starfire crossed her arms in frustration and anger. "Nothing Sam. Just a little fight between Proto and I."

"From the way you're acting, doesn't seem that little."

With a sigh, Starfire slumped in desperation. "It's just so hard…"

Sam smiled at the little Navi gently. "Give him time Star. He'll see sense eventually. And when he does, it'll be all the more worth it."

Reaching the apartment, Sam keyed in the code. Entering into the main living room, she was greeted by bright splashes of hot pink. A design of Star's, she recalled vaguely. They had decided that if they were going to live together, might as well decorate together. Starfire did the bathroom and living room, while Sam did the bedroom and kitchen.

"Sam? Can you just plug me into my homepage? I… I just want to sleep right now." Star said, her voice tinged with sheepishness and sorrow.

Sam knew better than to push it, so she quietly plugged Starfire into the wall monitor, whispering good night as the orange Navi disappeared.

On her homepage, Star lay on her bed, still fuming over the remarks she had exchanged with Proto before.

"_Talking to you is a waste of my time."_

Rolling onto her side, Star pulled the covers over her head. Why had he said such hurtful things? Did he really mean them? Did _she_ really mean what she had said? If she truly _did_ love ProtoMan as she thought, why had she been so mean? Star continued to toss and turn as she fell into a fitful sleep.

_Star was having a very strange dream, if she could even call it that. She seemed to be watching a movie from the future, and nobody knew she was even there. She stood in a cemetery, on a hill near a tall oak tree. The sun was setting and it was autumn, she knew that by the falling leaves. _

_'Where am I?' She thought curiously, glancing left and right._

_The crunch of leaves snapped her attention to the grave nearest to her. Surprisingly, Chaud was approaching the grave! He had grown out of his boyish look and was a handsome young man now, but his hair was still the trademark black and white overlay._

_'So I'm in the real world.' Starfire concluded logically._

_Chaud laid a flower on the grave; a single yellow rose, and began to speak. "It's been a while since I visited you last. I only brought one flower, since I know you didn't like all that mushy stuff. … I'm going off to college tomorrow, and I won't be able to see you again. Life's been hard without you old friend."_

_At this, Starfire became worried. 'Old friend? Could that be…SAM?'_

_Chaud pressed on, although tears glinted at the corners of his deep blue eyes. "Ever since that day when…well, since that day, I haven't wanted anyone but you. My father keeps encouraging me to find another one like you, but he'll never understand. You were the only one for me, and you understood me like nobody I've ever met." Chaud wiped his eyes on his sleeve and a breeze swept about his legs. "Well, I'm going to go. I'll come back, I promise. You know how I always keep my promises." Turning, Chaud headed down the hill, jamming his hands into the pocket of his jacket._

_Starfire dashed around the grave, desperately hoping and praying she was wrong. "Please, please, please don't be Sam!" She gasped while brushing leaves off the grave. What she read was nothing she ever expected._

ProtoMan Blues Blaze 

_He was a true friend,_

_With a steady heart,_

_And a strong blade._

_May you always swing your sword strong._

_"NOOOOOO!" Star cried in anguish. "This…this can't be him! It just can't!"_

_"But it is." _

_Starfire whirled around and peered into the oncoming darkness, but there was no source for the voice. "Who are you? Show yourself!"_

_The voice chuckled. "I cannot show you who I am, little one. I am here to guide you."_

_Starfire had seen enough movies where this happened to know any better. "Okay, but why? Why are you showing me this?"_

_The voice answered again. "Let's go back a few years, shall we? To when you and ProtoMan are fifteen."_

_With a flash of rainbow light, Starfire felt herself hurtling through space and time, an insignificant speck in the grand scheme._

_"Ah, here we are! Den Tech City Net Hospital." The voice announced, almost cheerfully._

_Picking herself up, Star looked around. "What're we doing here?"_

_"See for yourself."_

_Abruptly Star spotted two familiar figures. "Hey! It's Sam and Chaud! What're they doing here?" She gasped. "Oh my gosh, who's hurt? What happened?"_

_The voice answered as Star watched Sam hold Chaud's hands, while he fidgeted nervously. "There has been an accident. A World Three agent attempted to blow up the school, and Chaud was the first on site. Unfortunately, there was no way to disarm the bomb the agent planted, so all they could do was evacuate the building. But…"_

_Star looked up, as if she knew the voice was above her. "But? I don't like that…"_

_The sound of a door opening and closing attracted Star's attention as a middle-aged man with rich chestnut hair came out. "Hey! That's Doctor Hakari! He works at SciLab, doesn't he?"_

_The voice never answered, because Dr. Hakari was speaking. "Chaud Blaze?"_

_Chaud glanced nervously at Sam before they both stood up and approached Dr. Hakari._

_Chaud spoke first. "How is he?"_

_Dr. Hakari stared at the fifteen year old, looking at him with such an intense look of trust and apprehension. With a sigh, Dr. Hakari spoke. "I'm sorry Chaud…we did everything we could for him, but the damage was too great. He was pronounced dead a few moments ago."_

_Starfire watched helplessly as tears formed in shock in the white haired boy's eyes. Reaching out, Star wanted so badly to touch Chaud, tell him everything would turn out okay, but she faltered and let her hand drop back to her side._

_Sam seemed to be speechless, covering her mouth while tears streamed freely down her face._

_Finally, Chaud gave himself a light shake and stared up at Dr. Hakari. "I want to see him."_

_Hakari nodded and Star followed Chaud down several halls and into an ordinary hospital room. On the bed, was a still form and if Star didn't know any better, she'd have said it was asleep. Slowly, she tiptoed behind Chaud, as if she would shatter the illusion if she were loud. But she was forced to suppress a small cry when she saw that the one on the bed was…_

_"_**ProtoMan!**_"_

_Indeed, the inert form was ProtoMan, but just a projection of his data into the real world. Shaking her head, Star took an involuntary step back. "T-This can't be true!"_

_"But it is. Watch little one." The voice commanded and Star felt herself rooted to the spot, unable to take her eyes of the scene that unfolded before her._

_Almost tenderly, Chaud knelt by the bed and laid his head on it, sobs shaking his shoulders. "Why?" He moaned softly, but loud enough for Starfire to hear. "Why did you have to be noble and save that one little Navi? Why?" For a moment, Chaud was still, and then he slammed his fist violently against the mattress. "IT'S NOT FAIR! We weren't done yet! And you…you just went and-! Oh ProtoMan…" At this point Chaud was sobbing so hard that Starfire could barely make out the words._

_"Chaud…" Star stepped forward and was about to touch his shoulder when the world shifted and she was back where she had started, in the cemetery._

_"I don't understand!" Star cried, confused. "Why show me all this?"_

_"Because it is your fault."_

_"WHAT?"_

_"After ProtoMan died, they put his data in a capsule and buried it here. Chaud never wanted another Navi, and never did get another."_

_"Where am I during all this?"_

_"You didn't care what happened to ProtoMan."_

_"That can't be true! How can I not care about my best friend?"_

_"He was not your friend anymore. This is all because of a fight ProtoMan had several years ago. On the first day of spring break. He lost his best friend, and then nothing was the same. So you see, you truly _are_ the reason for all this."_

_All the while the voice had been speaking, tears were forming in Starfire's eyes. Now she started sobbing heavily._

_"Oh, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She fell to the earth on top of Proto's grave and began to dig furiously. "I'm sorry! I never meant for this to happen! I don't want to be alone!" Finally she pulled a small silver capsule from the earth and hugged it to her chest. "I'm sorry ProtoMan! I'm so, so sorry! Please…forgive me! Forgive me, I never meant for this to happen!"_

"_FORGIVE ME!"_

"YAAHH!" Starfire sat bolt upright, breathing heavily, drenched in a cold sweat. Panting, Star looked around. She was still in her room, and it appeared to be a new day.

"Well hello there sleepy head!" Sam remarked cheerily. "Decided to wake up?"

"Sam…" Starfire said quietly, then, as if remembering what she had seen, Starfire began to panic. "Sam! What day is it?"

Sam seemed startled but gave the date. "March 25, it's almost noon, why?"

Starfire gave a small sigh and ran a brush through her hair quickly. "Nothing! I have to go talk to ProtoMan!" With that, she dashed out of her homepage onto the open Internet.

'Please, let it just be a dream, please!' Star thought as she burst onto ProtoMan's homepage. Her breath caught in her throat.

There, ProtoMan was lying still under the red and black covers on his bed.

Starfire hung her head. She was too late to save him! Then, she heard movement. Looking up excitedly, she saw ProtoMan stretch and sit up.

"Mmmm…what? Starfire?" He stared at her, curious.

"PROTOMAN!" Starfire flung herself on the taller Navi, wrapping her arms around his chest. "Proto, oh Proto I'm so sorry I yelled at you yesterday! Please, forgive me! I never meant what I said it was just-"

ProtoMan smiled and hushed the little Navi. "Shh…. It's okay Star! I forgive you. I shouldn't have yelled either. Forgive me?"

Starfire nodded, her head still pressed against ProtoMan's chest. "Please, don't ever leave me Proto…please."

For a long while, they sat there in the comfort of each other. Somehow, they both knew that this was the beginning of a beautiful new day.

The End

10


End file.
